Flagship Scottish Government schemes to help people in danger of having their homes repossessed have been branded "useless."

The accusation was made by Labour health spokesperson Cathy Jamieson after it emerged yesterday that no-one had received help from one of its trumpeted rescue policies - Mortgage to Shared Equity (MTSE).

The latest figures show that between January and May there were 3317 court actions for repossessions, and Labour has been highly critical of Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon's attempts to help householders facing the loss of their homes.

Ms Jamieson said: "Last month we found that her Mortgage to Rent scheme had just one successful application and now we find that her Mortgage to Shared Equity is a disaster."

The scheme was launched in March to complement the existing Mortgage to Rent package.

Mortgage to Rent gives people the option of selling their home to a local authority or housing association, while Shared Equity enables the government to take a stake in the debtor's home.

Its failure to help anyone was uncovered by Linlithgow Labour MSP Mary Mulligan, who asked how many households had applied for assistance.

Housing Minister Alex Neil told her: "Since the inception of MTSE, five households have been eligible for consideration for the scheme. Two have replied to say they wished to be considered for Mortgage to Rent instead, and the remaining three have still to reply."

The Mortgage to Rent Scheme has also been heavily criticised, as The Herald reported last month, when it was revealed that only one person had benefited from it since the SNP administration changed the criteria in March.

Ms Jamieson claimed Ms Sturgeon, whose portfolio includes housing, was "failing to get the message".

She said: "She hails her own schemes but when examined we found out just how useless her management of them has been."